It shouldn't be too difficult to start honing his team while he traveled Johto. Some of it would be best overseen by a Master (or at least with some sort of instruction) but there was a lot of work that could be done on his team's foundations. Ash hoped they'd be ready to begin serious work on the paths he, Steven, and his friends had decided on.
Bruiser's would be the simplest, Ash decided as Plume flapped her vast wings yet again. He grinned at the sudden acceleration and wound his hands tightly in the reins as the mighty Pidgeot twisted and wound her way across her domain. Plume's bright crest flapped wildly in the wind and nearly wrapped around him as she flew. Ash paused in his ruminations for a moment to admire his friend and gently pat her glossy sides for a moment.
Ash stared down at the endless expanse of green treetops thousands of feet below them. They sloped interestingly with the mountains and hills Johto was known for and every now and then he could spy a vast blue lake or gently winding river carving its way through Johto's rugged wilderness.
At one point there had been several large roads that cut through this area (he could faintly see old remnants of it where nature hadn't quite yet reclaimed it) but aside from a few grey lines winding out from Goldenrod in a simple network they had fallen into disrepair. Decades before most roads had been abandoned or fallen into disrepair. Most were only maintained for trainers and travelers.
Not many people needed those roads anymore. Why take that land away from pokemon when you could give it back? With widespread access to teleportation and matter conversion technology like the kind used in pokeballs, reliance on physical roads for travel and commerce was a thing of the past. Maintaining those massive expanses of roads was expensive, impractical, and pointless in the end.
That's what Cynthia's book said, anyways. To be honest, Ash hadn't thought about the issue much.
No, he was much more interested in considering his team. He allowed his thoughts to drift away as they passed a few hundred feet above a large flock of Spearow. They cawed irritatedly at him, but a fearsome scream and simple glare from Plume quickly sent the aggressive avians on their way.
He grinned and stroked Plume's glossy feathers for a moment, then stared at the Pidgeot thoughtfully. How should he train her to use that incredible technique of Lugia's? There weren't any comparable techniques, at least to his knowledge. Ash had spent hours and hours poring over every obscure technique entry in the Pokedex in hopes of finding something to start working off of, but hadn't found any success.
It was vaguely reminiscent of Hyper Beam, but something altogether different. Instead of the actual energy focused by Lugia causing the effects, the power seemed to come from the incredible winds that had carried away the blizzards and storms of Articuno and Zapdos with the force of a mighty hurricane. Maybe it would be best to start with a Hyper Beam and try refining it? There had to be some kind of trick to it that he wasn't getting…
Ash thought on that for a few more minutes, but quickly found that he wasn't any closer to answers than when he'd started. He figured he'd have to consult someone else more knowledgeable about wind-based techniques. Lance would probably be able to get him started. Then again, he still wasn't sure where they stood. Even if they were on decent terms, there was still that tension that left Ash unwilling to ask the Dragon Master for help just yet.
He'd wait a little longer on that one.
So he moved onto projects he could work on immediately. Bruiser's Rampage came to mind. To be honest, he didn't really think it necessary to develop it much further. Not actively, at any rate. By now most of the improvement came from Bruiser's body adjusting to the technique as he gained experience with it. Ash couldn't help Bruiser much aside from making sure he wasn't pushing himself too far.
That didn't mean he couldn't help Bruiser in other ways. As of now Rampage was supposed to be a last resort, after all. There was no excuse for Ash to skimp out on Bruiser's ordinary fighting style. Bruiser's offense was fine in Ash's opinion. He just needed to help his friend train with more ranged options like Flamethrower and shore up his defense. Right now, Bruiser relied exclusively on dodging or absorbing blows.
Needless to say, that wasn't ideal.
Ash really needed to find a TM for Protect. It would be invaluable for several members of his team. Until then, he thought it might be useful to try and track down Rock Tomb as well. Aron's battles had proven how useful those techniques could be, and he'd been intending to give his team some more versatility in battle regardless.
Images of Bruno's Machamp wielding Rock Tomb expertly against his team struck him and he grinned. He'd never imagined Rock Tomb could be used so fluidly, but it definitely gave him something to strive for. That would be a technique to emphasize for Bruiser. A Machoke or Machamp was devastating enough, but one able to create defenses and tactical advantages on the fly?
He shook himself out of his stupor and wiped his mouth with the back of his glove just to be safe. Dazed always told him he drooled a little when he got distracted like that.
Just as he started to put his energy into coming up with exercises to help Nidoking enhance his limited psychic abilities, Plume shrieked something to him. Ash looked up and grinned as he saw the wide range of the forests slowly blend and shift into soft, rolling hills drowning in colorful orchards, small villages, and a few scattered trees that felt out of place.
Even farther still he could see a tiny dot on the horizon that he knew in his heart to be Greenfield.
"Angle in, Plume!" He shouted loud enough to be heard over the din of the winds. Plume ruffled her feathers to show that she could hear him, and Ash continued. "I don't know if the reporters are still at Greenfield, so be careful!"
She shrieked one last time, then shot forward and the world around them passed in a blur.
Ash held on tight, a wild grin on his face. On foot this journey would have taken at least a day. With Plume it had taken around an hour… mostly because she'd decided to take it easy and enjoy her flight. They were in no rush, after all.
He was really glad he had Plume as a friend.
XX
"Ash? What are you doing here?" He took pleasure in Uncle Spencer's gobsmacked expression. It hadn't taken long for him to track the man down. Greenfield was still a little torn up from the epic battle (Ash still felt a little on edge, as though there was a constant pressure weighing him down) but overall it had traded a roiling sea of living crystal and the Crystal Entei for dozens and dozens of reporters, League officials, and curious visitors all wanting to check out the spot of such momentous happenings.
Ash almost preferred the crystal.
To be fair, that might have been because he'd had to pull his hat low, wrap himself in a jacket, and walk with Dazed at his side just to avoid the milling people and media that had practically claimed Greenfield as their own. Ash was irritated by the human superstitions about Hypno, but he found himself grateful for it. Nobody wanted to spend too long looking at him when Dazed was ready to stare down anyone with her flat gaze.
Only Ash could read her well enough to know that stare was full of veiled amusement. Dazed seemed to enjoy the effect she had on people.
Perhaps more than I should, Friend-Trainer.
His lips quirked, and he finally responded to Uncle Spencer. "Didn't my mom tell you I'd be stopping by?"
"Of course," the tall man winced at the mention of his mother. Ash mirrored it. For a moment they both stood in uncomfortable silence, but Uncle Spencer was quick to wave him into the small house that Dazed had tracked him to. Ash was pretty sure the Hale Mansion was still blocked off - it was practically swarming with League personnel. "She didn't say it would be today, though. But forget about that. It's good to see you, Ash!"
Ash grinned and gave the polite response. "It's good to see you too. This is Dazed, by the way," he added. He (and Dazed) was pleased when Uncle Spencer introduced himself to her as well.
It was good to see Uncle Spencer again. He had fond memories of the man and all the time he'd spent in the Hale Mansion when he was younger. The only reason he still felt the odd twist of anxiety in his gut was because of what happened last time he was in Greenfield. Otherwise his only memories would have been the expanses of the Hale Mansion, resting in the scattered orchards, and hearing all sorts of fantastic stories at Uncle Spencer's knee.
"Where's Molly?" Ash asked as Spencer led him into the small, cozy living room. It was decorated plainly, but something about it relaxed Ash. Nice, compact, and simple. Not huge and open and opulent like Steven's apartment in Rustboro. "Is she here?"
Uncle Spencer just smiled and stretched out the fingers on his right hand. He slowly began counting down with them, and Ash grunted as a small rocket slammed into him. Dazed's eyes flashed briefly, but quickly returned to normal when she realized it was just Molly. Ash caught himself and smiled down at the tiny figure hugging his legs. "Hey, Molly."
"I knew you'd be here!" Molly chirped and leaned back on her heels to bounce up and down. Teddiursa shyly peeked from around the corner, but came out entirely when the normal-type spotted Ash. He sent the diminutive pokemon an easy grin that seemed to relax the high-strung creature. It timidly waved before hiding behind Molly yet again (poorly, considering Teddiursa was much, much bulkier than the tiny girl).
"You know it," he replied easily, a little surprised at how comfortable he was talking to Molly. Ash had to talk to her during the Greenfield disaster, but that had been driven by stress. Then his mind flashed back to the way their minds had melded when he'd helped her control the Unown… "How've you been, Molly?"
The little girl grinned and plopped down on one of the plain wooden chairs all around the room. Teddiursa scurried behind her, as though trying to do his best impression of Molly's shadow. She kicked her legs excitedly and peered up at him. "It's been so much fun! We've been moving around a bunch!" She cheered, although her expression darkened after a moment. "But I'm tired. I want to go home…"
Ash looked out the window to where the Hale Mansion proudly towered over the fields and flowers which separated it from the rest of Greenfield. A vision of it layered in thick plates of writhing crystal angled and splayed like a rose flitted through his mind…
"When can you go back?" He asked. Molly frowned, and he was glad he'd mostly directed it at Uncle Spencer. Ash had a lot of things he'd like to talk about with the man…
Uncle Spencer came and rested his hands on Molly's shoulders. She laughed and leaned back against his legs as she stared up at her father adoringly. It sent a few ugly thoughts through Ash's mind, but he forced them down (partly due to the odd look he received from Molly).
"The League teams are still investigating it," Uncle Spencer explained with a nod at the mansion. He hefted Molly up onto his shoulders, where she seemed content to wrap her tiny hands in his hair and pull it randomly. Uncle Spencer's brief winces seemed to amuse Molly to no end. "I'm not privy to the full extent of their investigation, but they've consulted me enough for me to believe they haven't found any remnants of the… artifacts," the scientist said with a frown.
"No psychic remnants?" Ash inquired as he leaned against a wall. He clasped his amulet in his hand. It didn't so much as thrum at his touch. Strange to think that such a small thing had been so dangerous just a few days ago…
Uncle Spencer shook his head (and lightly reprimanded Molly when she tugged a little too hard). "I don't believe so," he admitted. "They're keeping an eye on us, however. The League will have a psychic specialist check on Molly and I weekly to ensure there aren't any lingering issues."
Ash shifted uneasily. Only a calming brush against his mind courtesy of Dazed kept him from openly displaying his discomfort. "Like the one that'll be visiting my mom?"
The look on Uncle Spencer's face showed that he was about as comfortable discussing this as Ash was. It was an odd (Ash would go as far to call it unique) display of shame, fear, worry, and guilt that Ash hadn't thought possible. "I… yes," the man sighed. He set Molly down from his shoulders, though she immediately sat down on the couch. She seemed bored to tears by the serious conversation. "That's exactly right, actually."
Perhaps you should release the Binder. He would prove an adequate distraction for a certain individual.
And also he would enjoy it, Ash thought to point out. Dazed's faint amusement brushed his thoughts before he tapped Tangrowth's pokeball. "Hey, Molly?"
"Yeah?" She peered up at him from where she kicked her legs restlessly on the pale couch, Teddiursa hugged to her side.
"Do you want to meet one of my friends? His name is Tangrowth," Ash elaborated at her ecstatic look. Well, technically his name was Binder, but Tangrowth himself couldn't remember that…
Molly shot to her feet faster than he could blink and hugged around his legs. "Yes, yes, yes! I love Tangrowth! He's so nice and cute. Even Inf - Infernus," she corrected herself as she babbled, "wasn't that nice and he followed me around all day!"
What? Ash stared at her oddly before realization struck him. Of course she'd spent time with his team… well, not his team, but the team of his clone. They'd been built from the stories told by his mom and Molly's own warped perceptions of them from footage of his battles and interviews. Again, Ash felt an abrupt twist in his gut at the thought of Not-Ash. He'd almost forgotten about the construct in the aftermath, and that felt wrong in a thousand ways.
Not-Ash's entire existence had been to mimic his own, and when his purpose had been fulfilled he'd been discarded, deconstructed as though he'd never existed. The whole experience in the Hale Mansion was already surreal, like the lingering wisps of a half-forgotten dream. If Ash forgot his clone, then Not-Ash was truly dead.
"Yeah," he agreed half-heartedly with Molly. She was lost in her own world, rambling on about all the adventures she had with his team. Ash had to wonder if Molly even really understood what happened with the Unown, or if she'd just rationalized it in her own way. Then again, even he barely comprehended what had happened. Maybe he was expecting too much from a four year-old. "So do you want to see him?"
She looked up at him with big, pleading eyes and despite his pensive mood Ash smiled. Tangrowth materialized seconds later, his vines wriggling cheerfully as he took in the new place. Several went searching around the room and carelessly brushed against several fragile pots and vases, which were only saved by Dazed's quick thinking. Ash sent her a grateful nod before he addressed Tangrowth.
"Do you want to play with -" he began, only for Tangrowth to gurgle happily as Molly tackled him. The gigantic grass-type seemed shocked at somebody else making the first moves of friendship for once, but was more than happy to start hugging her back as he bounced up and down on his red boot-like feet.
"I missed you!" Molly cried as she burrowed into Tangrowth's trembling shell of vines (though her arms were way too short to go all the way around him). Ash didn't miss that an uncharacteristically dark look passed over Teddiursa's gentle face, but Tangrowth and Molly did. Tangrowth seemed confused for a moment, but quickly accepted that he'd met Molly before and that they'd been best friends. Moments later, Molly tugged Tangrowth out through the door by his vines and Teddiursa trotted behind.
Uncle Spencer shook his head fondly as he walked over to the refrigerator and began to pour himself a drink. "You know her well. She's obsessed with your team."
He only knew her well because he'd been Molly for a time, or at least melded with her. Ash frowned thoughtfully. "You don't have to tell me that," he didn't need to say anything else. Uncle Spencer winced. "Is Molly okay?"
The older man sighed and tapped his drink absentmindedly. "You have a way of asking difficult questions, Ash."
He decided to take that as a compliment. Dazed's silky laugh echoed in his mind for a few moments after that thought.
When Ash sent an expectant look his way, Uncle Spencer finally relented. "We don't know," he looked particularly pained at the admission. Spencer restlessly rapped his knuckles against the plain counter as he thought. "She appears fine on the surface. You've seen her," he waved to the sight of Molly, Teddiursa, and Tangrowth dancing outside in the fields, "she's bright, energetic, cheerful as ever... I'm tempted to say there's not a single thing wrong with her."
"But who knows?" Frustration tinged Uncle Spencer's words. Ash knew that feeling all too well, the powerlessness in the face of a much greater force. Of being subject to consequences you could never really understand. It grated. "She might develop a complex from being in that… dream. Maybe she'll develop psychic powers. Maybe she'll develop brain damage. Maybe she'll have visions or never adapt to being the in the real world again!" He squeezed his glass hard enough that Ash feared it would shatter. Then he sagged, as if a great weight was on his shoulders. "The League couldn't help us. They were useless," Spencer finished bitterly.
Ash wanted to defend the League, but he didn't think it would do much good. Uncle Spencer already had his mind made up, or so it seemed. Somehow he knew that it would just frustrate the man that much more. "So what now?" He asked, hoping to tread onto safer ground.
"I do what I've always done," Uncle Spencer smiled wearily. "I wake up another day, I take care of Molly, and I rebuild. Life is hard now, but it gets easier. Never easy, mind you, but easier," he peered out at the towering spires of the Hale Mansion atop the hill. "The League will be gone soon. I'll have my home back. I'll have more funding for my research, and Molly will be safe."
That reminded Ash of something that had been bothering him for the last day or so. "Will you be going on any expeditions?"
Uncle Spencer looked pained for a moment. No doubt he was remembering what had happened on his last expedition, where he'd unearthed the Unown in the Ruins of Alph. "Perhaps," he said carefully. "I'm not certain yet. I've only just begun to discuss it with Samuel."
Ash hesitated, then plowed on ahead. "I don't think you should," he said bluntly. Spencer blinked, no doubt shocked. "Molly needs you right now. She's lonely."
"I… it wouldn't be now," Spencer tried to rationalize, but it was easy to see that he was rattled. He stared at Molly as she was picked up and swung about by Tangrowth. "Perhaps Delia, no…"
He arched an eyebrow when Spencer trailed off. "What about my mom?"
Uncle Spencer exhaled and he uncomfortably scratched the back of his neck. "Your mother and her doctors have requested I have minimal contact with her until she feels more grounded," he appeared a little lost at the thought, like a wandering man who'd just had his light snuffed out. "I understand why, but it's been difficult for Molly. Your mom means a lot to us. It's hard to see her like this, and all I want to do is help with her recovery."
That unpleasant twist in his gut was back. Ash thought back to the ugly thoughts going through his head when he'd first seen the photos his mother had sent him of her, Uncle Spencer, and Molly. The perfect picture of a happy family. Then he recalled Molly's isolation, the memories of bitter tears and the joy whenever his mom would visit.
He wrenched the darkness down. "Yeah, I know how you feel," Ash offered.
Uncle Spencer flinched. "Of course, I didn't mean to imply…" he trailed off again. Spencer did that a lot, Ash realized. He was normally so focused, but it seemed like his brain was almost as scattered as his mom's right now. "I'm sorry, Ash," he laid a hand on Ash's shoulder. Dazed watched carefully, but she didn't comment. "I can only imagine how you feel right now. If there's anything I could do for you, just say the word."
Ash nodded, uncomfortable at the sudden change. This was so unlike the calm, easygoing Uncle Spencer he knew. "I'll remember that. Thanks," he said unconvincingly, even to him.
Spencer nodded and pulled his hand away. He looked uneasy, and quickly decided to change topics again. "So, is there a way I can contact you out in the field?" The man inquired. He looked relieved at Ash's nod. "Great! Would you mind me asking questions occasionally as I further my research?"
This was more familiar territory. Uncle Spencer lost the bone-deep exhaustion gnawing at him in those moments, replaced with a brilliant scientific curiosity reminiscent of his mother or Professor Oak. Glad to be over the awkward emotional part, Ash exchanged his PokeNav info before Spencer started falling into the familiar routine of being questioned by an overly enthusiastic researcher…
It was a good thing he'd had Tangrowth leave with Molly. She would've been bored to tears.
XX
"Why do you have to go?" Molly cried out as he broke the news. Her eyes welled with tears and she trembled slightly before she latched onto his arm with an iron grip. Tangrowth gurgled sadly and tried to turn it into a group hug, which Ash didn't mind. Teddiursa joined the action by shoving Tangrowth's vines out of the way and hugging onto Molly.
I hope you don't expect me to join, Friend-Trainer. The Binder can -
Dazed's amused telepathy cut off indignantly when Ash grinned and whispered some instructions to Tangrowth, who cheerfully launched a few vines Dazed's way to bring her into the hug. He felt her appear some distance away, having just barely avoided the hug with a teleport, and turn her baleful eyes on him.
That was not funny.
He begged to differ, but decided it was time to address Molly. His arm was starting to go numb. "There's some really important stuff I have to do. You remember what you saw in my head?"
Molly frowned. "Yeah…" she sighed, and Ash was honestly impressed when the girl let go without a fight. She wrung her hands nervously, and looked up at him hesitantly. "You'll come back, right?"
Ash smiled down at her and playfully ruffled Molly's honey blonde hair. She pouted at the contact, but didn't pull away. "I will, I promise. And your dad has my PokeNav number, so you can send me a message whenever you want, okay?"
She still wasn't happy, but Ash could tell she was relieved. Molly was really afraid that he'd just vanish on her. Not that he could blame her, once he thought of what she'd experienced. He crouched to where he was on her level. "Hey, I'll always be in touch if you need me, okay? And you know what, I'll come back to see you before I leave Greenfield. Does that sound good?"
A wide grin split Molly's small face. "Yes! Thanks, Ash!"
With that taken care of, he allowed Molly and Teddiursa to run away (after Molly wrapped him up in a short hug) back into the house where Uncle Spencer was waiting. He took a moment to watch them vanish away and be wrapped up by a laughing Spencer's arms before he returned to Tangrowth and motioned for Dazed to teleport back to his side.
She appeared in a small flash of light and regarded him warily.
"You're safe now," he teased, and was rewarded with a shake of Dazed's head. She polished her pendulum in that familiar way.
I expect better from you, Friend-Trainer.
"You didn't mind," he said with certainty. Dazed rolled her eyes (an oddly human habit she'd picked up from him) but didn't argue. Ash peered over at the Hale Mansion and decided against teleporting. It was just a short walk, and he didn't mind the trip.
Greenfield wasn't exactly a large community, although the Hale Mansion was so astoundingly massive that it made it seem that way. Mostly the small town was built as a tourist location. The community was known far and wide for being one of the most beautiful locations in Johto, and the Hale family that had founded it was one of the more prominent families in the region and had once held significant influence in Goldenrod.
Right now, of course, it was abuzz with activity. Ash was able to avoid most of the mess, but he kept a close eye on the swarm of reporters that rushed around documenting everything they could find. Almost all the relics of the battle that had taken place here had been cleaned up, though it was impossible to hide the fact that the King Under the Mountain had made an appearance, but the media was still frantic in their attempts to leave no stone unturned. Ash couldn't even blame them, although he was a bit annoyed at having to keep such a low profile.
Despite that, it didn't take long to traverse around the fields of flowers and up the rolling hills until he reached the path to the Hale Mansion. The media was nowhere to be seen in this area, although they took pictures of the mansion from a distance. League forces were all over the place, though, and nobody wanted to risk earning their ire by trying to push past the boundaries. Ash certainly caught a few interested eyes when he walked past the Rangers blocking the road with barely a word.
He tried to ignore the prying attention. "We might have to teleport out of here when we're finished talking to Cynthia," Ash said quietly to Dazed. She didn't show any sign of hearing him, but he felt a sense of warmth through her telepathy. That was all he needed. "Thanks, Dazed. I really don't want to deal with that."
With that settled, they trudged up the path. Ash found himself lost in memories as he took in the sights. Greenfield was restored thanks to his and Molly's efforts, but it would be a long time before it was fully healed. The endless orchards hid most evidence of the battle, but as soon as you looked past the surface it was easy to see scorch marks, rent earth, and small patches that had been torn or blasted apart by some attack or another. It would be months or years before the land had truly healed.
For a moment Ash wished he had the Unown again so that he could fix the remaining damage, but the idea made him uneasy and he quickly turned away from that train of thought. It was dangerous.
Once he reached the Hale Mansion, Ash was immediately given passage by the ACE trainers standing guard at the entrance. He felt a little bit of pride that they actually recognized him, though Ash was more lost in memory than anything as he stepped into the Hale Mansion's halls again.
"Would you like an escort to take you to Champion Cynthia, Trainee Ketchum? I believe she's currently investigating the garden." The woman who seemed to be in charge asked him. Ash glanced her over. She was an older woman in her late thirties or early forties who looked as though she hadn't gotten a wink of proper sleep in days. A massive Golem stood at her side and watched Ash and Dazed curiously from its beady eyes.
"No thanks," he replied easily. Ash felt Dazed scoff at the flush of pleasure that shot through him at being addressed by his title. "I know the way."
The woman nodded and ushered him into the doorway. "Very well. I would avoid the upper levels," the ACE trainer warned. She elaborated at Ash's questioning look. "Some of the spooks are working up there with their ghosts and told us off for trying to go up. Gives me the creeps," she finished with a grimace.
Ash nodded his thanks and headed in through the door with Dazed at his side. It felt unreal to see the plain wood and tile of the Hale Mansion again. In the short time he'd spent inside Molly's Dreamworld the strange realities he'd found inside had supplanted his memories of the Hale Mansion. To see the smooth, polished wood, old paintings, and pristine tile in its place was practically unimaginable to him now.
He walked through the main hall easily. There were only a few trainers and League personnel on this level and most only gave him a few sparing glances as they bustled about doing whatever investigation they were pursuing. Ash wondered if they'd managed to find anything so far... he doubted it. His memories of sealing the Unown were a bit hazy thanks to the stress of it all, but Ash knew he'd commanded them to remove their power from the world.
Knowing the Unown, they'd scrubbed the mansion completely clean. This seemed like an exercise in futility if that was a case, but Ash wouldn't begrudge the League for trying to learn everything they could from the incident. Given the number of reporters, cameras, and media teams still camped out in the actual city he figured the Greenfield Disaster was still an awful experience for the League.
People knew something strange was going on, and they wanted answers. The League couldn't sweep it under the rug this time. It was no wonder they were trying to salvage any scrap of information or utility they could from the whole mess. Ash had tried to avoid watching the news since he'd woken up in Goldenrod, but he had a nasty feeling that all of Indigo was still clamoring for the truth.
Ash thought they may reconsider that feeling when they actually received the truth.
That carried other issues with it as well. The League would have to expose his role in the whole mess, even if they didn't say what he actually did. But it meant that his association with the League would be made public, and it meant that people would be paying more attention to him. Lance had told him all sorts of stories about getting hounded in public after his legend had begun to grow and Ash dreaded the same thing happening to him.
What was he supposed to do if he got swarmed by people who recognized him? Ash felt uneasy in big cities already with their teeming hordes of people always chattering and milling around at the edge of his vision. If he could he'd probably teleport everywhere in cities just to avoid the crowds. It would only get worse if people actually cared.
It was bad enough with the recognition his name got. Who knew how bad it would be if people actually knew his face?
"You here to see the Champion?" A pale, sickly man asked as Ash approached the top of the stairs that would lead him into the garden. The man remained rigid at Ash's nod and Ash sighed as the man - a psychic, clearly - trembled and collapsed against the wall when they made eye contact. His eyes rolled back in his head and nonsense ramblings of visions of great Birds cloaked in flame, frost, and electricity, a soft song spoken by the silver secret hidden in the sea depths, and a few other tangents before Dazed granted him peace.
"Will he be okay?" Ash asked his friend. He watched the man uneasily. Normally lesser psychics were so good at avoiding Ash that he'd forgotten the effect he could have on them. They always made a point to be far, far away by the time he came around. The advantages of having your mind intimately entwined with the universe, Ash supposed.
Dazed inspected the dozing body for a few moments, pointedly ignoring the mad mutterings of the League psychic. Her pendulum leapt ever so slightly, carried aloft by an impossible wind.
It will not suffer permanent damage. You have grown brighter, Friend-Trainer.
"Unfortunately," Ash groused. He spared the man one last look before he simply shook his head and walked past him through the door he'd been guarding. There was no point waiting. He'd just report what had happened to whatever authority figure he ran into next. Actually… "Dazed, would you mind alerting someone?"
Her eyes twitched up in one of her smiles and her eyes flared a brilliant blue for just a moment before the incandescent light faded and died.
It is done.
Ash nodded his thanks to her, and pushed the doors open. He grinned at the sight of the Hale gardens. They were more than familiar to him after he'd spent countless hours leaping across the crystal clear brook, racing across the small stone pillars, and resting beneath the shade of the old stone gazebo.
This time, however, it wasn't home to Uncle Spencer or his mother. The only occupant was a tall, slender woman garbed in a long black coat, its sleeves and collar lined with fluffy fur. She faced away from him, inspecting something he couldn't see. Ash felt his confidence leave him at the sight of Champion Cynthia and her well-groomed golden mane. Dazed shuffled behind him, and suddenly he wished he had even more of his team at his back.
His greeting caught in his throat, and for a moment he was content to stare. It was easier to approach Steven or Lance. They were famous, impossibly talented, and the pinnacle of everything he wanted to achieve as a trainer. Almost, anyways. Sinnoh was a long ways away from Kanto in the first place, and he hadn't accidentally run into Cynthia like he had Steven.
Then his thoughts turned to his book. Even if he'd barely met Cynthia before (aside from noticing her after he released the Unown, and their brief interaction in the hospital) he felt like he knew her on some level thanks to his obsessive attention to her book. He'd learned some little fragment of her identity through the strength and passion of Cynthia's writing, of the vast tracts of knowledge she'd gathered and inscribed into one place. She might not have lectured him in person, but in a way he still considered her to be one of his teachers.
"Hello, Ash," Cynthia called out from where she stood peacefully beneath the shelter of the gazebo. She didn't turn to face him, but he sensed that she was smiling. Something else pricked at his senses, and he turned his gaze to the side to catch a glimpse of the blood red eyes of a lithe Lucario that waited in the shadows. The fighting-type clasped its hands together and dipped its head to Ash and Dazed before it returned to studying a small rut in the earth. "Please, come in. I could use a break."
He felt awkwardly aware of his entire body as he stepped forward, every movement too controlled to the point of discomfort. Ash appreciated the fact that Cynthia still hadn't looked at him. The boy was all too aware that he was flush at how long he was taking to compose himself.
"What are you doing?" He stared as she turned around. Ash had thought she was examining something, but when he glanced at her he only saw empty space between her pale hands. She watched him measuredly, a small smile on her lips.
Cynthia brushed her fringe out of her eyes. "I'm just trying to examine the area."
Ash frowned. His thoughts went to the dozens of League personnel that had swarmed over Greenfield and the Hale Mansion. "Hasn't anybody else checked this place out?"
The Champion chuckled. Her laugh was deeper than he'd have expected, and Ash took the moment to study her more. Dazed's mind brushed against his.
Are you well, Friend-Trainer? I can sense your heart rate accelerating. Your mind is erratic.
Ash flushed a deeper red and scowled at Dazed, who promptly began to rub her pristine pendulum against her snow white mane under the pretense of cleaning it. Her eyes quirked up into another smile, though Ash knew she was anything but innocent.
Cynthia's lips twisted into a wider smile. "You're right, quite a few have. I'm looking for something else," she trailed off with a thoughtful expression. The Champion cast a thoughtful look at a seemingly random spot in the bottom of the small pool in the garden. "Something deeper."
"And you can find it when they can't?" Ash asked skeptically. He winced when he realized how insulting that sounded, but Cynthia didn't seem to mind. If anything she seemed amused. He couldn't be sure if it was because she was in a good mood or because she just didn't take him seriously. "How?"
That earned a brief silence from Cynthia. Finally, she nodded and motioned to beneath the small stone structure she'd stood beneath earlier. "Stand there, please."
Ash couldn't help but be uncertain, but he went along with whatever game she was playing. He still felt a tad uncomfortable in his own skin, but relented and did what the Champion asked. She nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Dazed and Lucario both watched, interested and entertained in equal measure.
"Now close your eyes."
He did. At once his thoughts went wild, and he thought back to the last time when he'd been in this mansion. When he'd emerged through the darkness and entered the entry hall with Karen and their teams, he'd been horrified at the mockery of what the Hale Mansion had been transformed into. But when he'd tried to enter the garden, he'd found himself in an entirely different world.
Had that been this garden in a transformed state, or had it simply been a gateway into an entirely different plane of existence, warped and shaped by the will of the Unown? He wish he'd had the foresight to divine the answer before he'd sacrificed his power over the hive…
Dangerous thoughts. For a moment, Ash feared what might happen if the Unown heard his silent wonders, the ghost of desire that they responded to. Would they ever return to him? He'd sealed them away, but what if he wished for them too greatly?
"Peace, Ash," Cynthia said soothingly. Her voice calmed him. Something about her words tugged at his brain, lulling him into a tranquil state. It felt right. "Clear your mind. Be calm. Feel."
Normally he would have asked how he was supposed to do that. His mind was always active. Always planning, plotting, and questioning. How to win, how to get ahead, how to achieve his next step. Picking out strengths and weaknesses and where to push hardest to get the most results. Even if he didn't struggle with previous… events, he'd probably need Dazed to help him to sleep just to prevent him from thinking all night.
But now, with Cynthia's voice threading through his mind like a cool cloth, he understood.
Emptiness. Calm. Void.
It opened the world bare to him. The burgeoning awareness exploded into clarity, and he heard the soft breeze rolling through the hills, the chirping of Pidgey in the distance, and his own breath. He'd never realized how loud his heartbeat was.
But more importantly, he was aware. Of the Concepts he was tied to. He remembered feeling the tethers when he had held the Unown, the acute perception that had allowed him to peer past the physical: The Birds, Lugia, Mew, and even Mewtwo were all bound to him as he was to them. They had taught him much, in their way.
A growing frustration. Despite the newfound clarity, Ash was aware there was so much he was missing. Cynthia's words had pulled him into a peaceful state, but it only regarded himself. Some part of Ash was aware that there was so much more he was missing, as though he knew of it but simply couldn't understand what he needed.
Then a cool hand grasped his shoulder. That was a distraction, but a wave of calm rushed through him. His muscles tensed, then slackened. The rise and fall of his chest returned to normal.
"Easy, Ash. Listen to my voice," Cynthia said quietly, her voice the only thing he could hear. "Let me guide you."
He did.
"You have focused on yourself. You know who you are. You know yourself better than anything else. That awareness, that introspection… it is power. But there is so much more."
"Show me," Ash whispered. The world went still.
Cynthia's grip tightened. He didn't so much as flinch. "Turn away from yourself. Where are you? What are your surroundings? Focus. Feel. They are as much a part of you as your body, if only you allow yourself to see it."
He focused. Tried to remember the feelings of being one with the Unown, where he had felt the entire world for miles and miles around. Every blade of grass had been his, every grain of dirt. The Unown had funneled the information directly into his brain, acting as his eyes and ears and every other sense he could have imagined.
"Yes, focus on that feeling. Extend yourself. You are not your mind. You are not your body. You are something more, and that is greater than the parts that make up Ash Ketchum. It is one with the world, the universe… all you have to do is see it for yourself, like opening your eyes for the first time."
A glimpse. A flash of something more. The world in such vivid detail he could scarcely imagine it. Deeper than sight. Deeper than his senses could ever allow.
"Good," Cynthia allowed her hand to fall away. All of a sudden his brief glimpse slipped away like smoke through his fingers. The calm fell away, and he was overcome with a frenzy of thoughts that had been repressed by the unnatural relaxation. "You saw, didn't you?
His eyes snapped open. "What was that?" Ash demanded, spinning to stare at the blonde Champion. She regarded him inscrutably, though she didn't seem displeased with him. "How did I do that? It was like I had the Unown again…"
That got her attention. "Really?" She muttered, then shook herself out of it. "A discussion for another time! That said, I'd rather not have this talk here."
Ash frowned. "Then when? And where?" He recoiled at the thought of having this knowledge dangled in front of him only to be taken away, but he had to remember who he was talking to. Cynthia was a Champion. If she didn't want to tell him something, then she wouldn't.
She blinked. Then she laughed. "Now, of course. I'm not going to torture you like that! I'm not that mean!" Cynthia graced him with an easy grin, and he returned it after a few moments. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the relief nearly knocked him off his feet. "I just don't want to do it here. I've been sitting here for ages trying to get some work done."
"Oh," he said, and waited for Cynthia to continue.
"Want to go now?" She asked. When he nodded, she quickly squeezed her eyes shut.
"Andel!" She called out into the silence of the garden. Moments later the slim, taut form of a Gallade materialized as if from nowhere. Ash watched with interest - the only Gallade he could recall meeting was Sabrina's. He had to fight back a grin at the reminder of his rematch with her. That was still one of his favorite battles. "It's good to see you again, Andel. I'd like to introduce you to my friends, Ash Ketchum and Dazed."
The Gallade (which was a bit slimmer than Sabrina's, though still appeared to be a formidable fighter) swerved on its rounded hips to regard Ash and Dazed. He gracefully bowed, though not as deeply as he had to Cynthia.
It is a pleasure to meet friends of my Lady. Particularly those so renowned as the Storm-Tamer and his lovely companion. My name is Andel. I am a member of Sinnoh's Fourth Teleportation Squad, assigned to my Lady, Champion Cynthia Carolina. I will be honored to serve you as well at my Lady's behest.
Andel's telepathy was perfect. His voice was refined and particular, reminding Ash more of a butler than a knight. Ash greeted him in turn, and the flash of Dazed's eyes told him that she had extended her own words as well. Andel bowed once more, then turned to await Cynthia's commands.
"Take us to get ice cream!" Cynthia declared without any semblance of hesitation. Andel shut his eyes as though he'd been expecting her words, and Dazed quickly spoke to Ash. She sounded somewhat amused.
The Guide says most of her teleportation requests revolve around this 'ice cream' she mentioned.
Ash snorted just as Andel teleported them all away in a brilliant flash of light.
XX
Cynthia seemed completely lost to the world as she attacked her absolutely gargantuan pile of ice cream with all the savagery of her famed Garchomp. Ash took a lick of his freezing cone (Dazed appeared quite interested in it, and he felt their mental connection remain clear and steady) and frowned as he thought of the bizarre experience he'd just had in the Hale garden.
It was something oddly familiar, yet completely foreign. Ash felt that he'd been on the cusp of that awareness for ages now. In many ways it reminded him of the sudden expansion of his awareness whenever he touched ice or got too close to Infernus…
A few people in the small Goldenrod diner stared dumbly at the pair, though Andel, Lucario, and Dazed attracted a fair few looks of their own. Not that Ash thought many of the eyes were for him. The tall, blonde Champion in her stark black coat and loud laugh stole most of the attention.
Not that Ash had a problem with that.
"That's the stuff," Cynthia sighed dreamily as she polished off the rest of her ice cream. The huge frozen mounds were little more than a few small puddles after her attack. She finally leaned back and regarded Ash oddly. "Not a big ice cream person?" Ash winced at her tone - Cynthia sounded personally offended at the idea.
"No, no," he waved her off. "Just…"
The Champion nodded, suddenly serious. "I know how you feel. I remember how it felt when I was able to See for the first time."
"See?"
Cynthia chuckled, a faraway look on her face. "Yes. It's the use of Aura to perceive the universe as it truly is."
Ash's brow furrowed. He took his hat off and stared at the cap thoughtfully for a few moments. Aura. It wasn't a term he was overly familiar with, but some niggling part of his mind was familiar with it… hadn't his mental link to Bruno's Lucario mentioned it?
After a few seconds he gave into temptation. "And what is Aura?" He asked, though he had to wonder whether this reasonably populated diner was the best place for this kind of conversation. Considering the first five minutes had already led to him having a bizarre, out of body experience and there almost felt like a tangible weight to it, he thought that he might have a point.
"An interesting question," Cynthia glanced over to Lucario and made eye contact for a few moments before she shook her head. "It's not one that I can truly answer. But I suppose you can consider it the purest form of self-expression. Aura is taking what makes you - your willpower, your emotions, your intellect, your history - and expressing it outwards. You put a little piece of yourself into the universe, and the universe itself listens."
He blinked. Dazed listened raptly, not even hiding her attention behind the veneer of polishing her pendulum. Lucario watched them both, and Ash got the feeling that it found them amusing, like freshly hatched pokemon learning to walk.
Then he asked the most important question. "How?"
Cynthia shrugged. She tugged at one of her fuzzy sleeves. "Another good question."
When she didn't try to explain further, he pushed. "And?"
"Again, not something I can really explain," the woman said ruefully. Ash didn't find that answer particularly satisfying. She twisted a long blonde lock of hair in her fingers, and thankfully didn't catch Ash's stare (even though Dazed definitely did). "It's different for everyone, I suppose. It takes a great deal of introspection, understanding yourself, and the will and awareness to express yourself."
To be honest, that didn't really answer his question but he could tell that it wasn't for lack of trying. Something told him that Cynthia was genuinely doing her best to explain. "But you think I can do it?"
"Anyone can use Aura. It's intrinsic to us as living things," Cynthia explained. "Most just don't have the focus (or knowledge) to do it. Very, very few people stumble upon it naturally, and even those lucky enough to be instructed, such as myself, tend to struggle immensely. It takes years to learn the barest basics of the ability."
In that case, his determination to learn Aura was redoubled. There was something addicting about perceiving the world in the way Cynthia had shown him, to look around and know with absolute certainty that he was staring at the truth. That illusions, misconceptions, and physical limitations had no rule over him.
Then again… "Can it do anything else?"
"It depends," Cynthia replied. "Like I said, most people struggle to learn the basics. I certainly did. But once you learn how to express your Aura, it really comes down to who you are."
Ash's brow furrowed. "You mean everyone's Aura is unique?"
"Exactly!" The Champion looked at him appraisingly. Lucario's eyes curved upward. "Just as every person is inherently different, so is their expression of Aura. We're all humans, so the few I know can use similar abilities - slightly stronger, better reflexes, maybe a bit tougher - but everyone shines in a different area."
He rubbed his temples. What Cynthia was saying wasn't all that difficult to comprehend, but the enormity of what she was dropping on him was making his head spin. "What can you do, then?" Ash inquired. "Is it like psychic powers?"
"There are similarities, but not really," Cynthia nipped his line of thought in the bud. Ash sighed. Psychic powers were so much easier to comprehend than whatever this Aura was… maybe it was because psychics were present. They made sense. There were defined rules and limits. "Psychic powers are present in everyone, like Aura, but only a minority of people have them strong enough to actually use them. Aura can be used by anyone, provided they have the discipline and self-awareness for it."
May psychics learn to use Aura as well, Champion-Seeker?
Ash blinked at the sudden question from Dazed. She rarely deigned to enter human conversations since they rarely interested her.
"Yes, but most don't see the point. What few psychics I know that are aware of Aura generally prefer to hone their own abilities instead," She directed at Dazed. "Aura is generally more difficult to master and has less of a direct payoff. I suppose you can imagine it as different specialties. Psychics are masters of manipulating what's already present, while Aura is more around bringing something new into existence."
That was interesting, but Ash had different questions. "You didn't say what you could do with it."
Cynthia smiled. "I suppose I didn't. I'm sorry I didn't get to the point, I must have picked up some bad habits from spending time with Steven recently," she joked. "Talking for hours without really saying anything is a talent of his."
Ash ignored the teasing on Steven's behalf. Maybe he'd disagree more if it wasn't so accurate…
"Anyways," she continued, "My very limited abilities aren't too difficult to understand. My limits aren't very advanced, despite Lucario's best efforts!" The powerful fighting-type huffed and folded its arms at that, "Mostly it makes it easier for me to communicate with others and my pokemon nonverbally - not words," Cynthia quickly cut off Ash's next question, "but impressions, feelings, images… it's rather convenient in the thick of battle."
Well, that made sense if Aura worked the way she'd described. Cynthia kept saying that it was all about self-expression. She'd spent her entire life working with her team and honing their skills and teamwork. It was no wonder her abilities revolved around amplifying that.
So what could he do? Ash doubted he'd be able to do anything like that for years, but that didn't stop his rampant curiosity. Would he be able to communicate with his team as well? The thought entranced him. It was captivating just to talk to Dazed, to communicate with one of his team on that level. Even if he couldn't speak to them like he could with the psychic, something inside him seared at the prospect of getting to know his team even better.
"So Lucario is the one who taught you?" He inquired, sparing the fascinating fighting-type a glance. It possessed a unique appearance among other fighting-types given its blue and black stripes, lithe build, and piercing red eyes. Lucario peered up at him, and something passed between them. The sensation flitted away before Ash could really process it, and he was left with a sensation of vague emptiness.
"Yes!" Cynthia patted Lucario's arm. Its eyes squeezed shut and it leaned bodily into the contact. "He's a good teacher, if a little impatient. Many trainers lucky enough to train with a Lucario or Riolu find the same opportunity."
Ash frowned as he thought of the other trainer he knew with one of the fantastically rare pokemon. Then he recalled that other trainer's superhuman feats and the talks they had and wasn't too surprised to realize he must use Aura as well.
"So how long has Bruno used it?"
Cynthia's lips curved up into a wan smile. "I'm not surprised you reached that conclusion," she nodded. "He's used it for far longer than I have. I don't know Bruno all that well," she admitted, "but we've had a few talks. From what I understand his gifts lean towards the more physical side of things."
Vivid images of Bruno dancing around the Crystal Entei's deadly blows with contemptuous ease sprang to mind, or even of the Fighting Master dodging the frenzied thrashes of an enraged Onix when they first met. He shook his head. Aura had been in front of him the whole time… he knew that it had been superhuman, but he'd never put too much thought into it aside from the barebones explanations he'd gleaned from Bruno.
"So you have better communication and perception. Bruno has better physical abilities," Ash muttered to himself. Cynthia waved at him, encouraging him to continue. "He's a Fighting Master. He trains with his pokemon every single day trying to get stronger with them. Since that's a big part of who he is…"
"It's how his Aura is expressed," his newest teacher finished. Ash nodded along with her, putting all the pieces together. It was still a lot to take in, but at least he'd put the basic pieces of the puzzle together.
You seek to learn it?
Ash just sent Dazed a wide grin. They both knew that wasn't necessary.
"Could you teach me?" Ash turned his attention towards Cynthia, who looked at him knowingly.
"Nope!" She declared cheerfully. Ash's heart dropped and his next words choked to death in his throat. He sputtered uselessly for a few moments before Cynthia cut him off. "I'm sorry, Ash, but I don't have the time or ability to teach you myself - you won't be ready for advanced instruction for months to years. What I can do is point you in the right direction."
He paused. "Oh, thank you," Ash said awkwardly, a little embarassed at his reactions. Hopefully Cynthia didn't find it too annoying. "So what do I do? How do I start?"
The Champion twisted her fringe around one of her fingers. She wore an amused look at the hunger bleeding off Ash. "I'll help you with that later," she waved his protests off. "Lucario and I need some time to work up a plan for you. You'll be the first person I've helped teach," Cynthia said with a grin. Normally Ash would find that concerning, but for whatever reason Cynthia's words didn't lessen his belief in her. "Besides, we have some more important things to deal with first."
"Like what?" He raised his eyebrows. They were talking about something that could help him survive, or at least be a bit less squishy when it came to pokemon and Legends. Nothing more important than that crossed his mind.
"Like this!" Cynthia shouted, rising to her feet with a look on her face not dissimilar to the one she wore while she was eating her ice cream. The other occupants of the diner turned and stared, but Lucario and Andel both looked unfazed by her dramatics. She leveled an accusing finger at Ash. "Ash Ketchum, I challenge you to a battle!"
He stared, then a matching grin spread across his face.
She was right.
This was more important.
A/N: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed! I'd planned on getting out of Greenfield completely this chapter, but it looks like it'll be edging over into the next. Don't worry, though, we'll probably be either wrapping up or mostly into the next chapter of material as well. I'd sort of planned on more happening this chapter, but I think this was a good warm-up to get me back into form since I had to take a break (although that's over now that I'm officially a college graduate)! Also, next chapter will get some Cynthia interaction that is more about her as a character, not as an exposition dump for Aura. She's fun to write and I'm really looking forward to showing her character in more detail.
Now, before anything else I'd like to address the concerns I'm sure many of you have. Aura is something I've always planned to bring into this fic eventually, but I wanted to let everyone know it's not going to be the normal "Ash uses Aura to talk to his pokemon and becomes the strongest fighter around". Not even close. Aura is going to be a long, complex skill to learn and it will only ever be a tool in Ash's arsenal, not his go-to weapon. No matter how strong it makes him, he'll be weaker than almost any pokemon in a fight. It will give him an edge in surviving a long time down the road, but I think it'll be balanced out by the terrible odds he's facing and the sheer amount of time and difficulty that goes into learning it.
Sorry for the rambling, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows that I've thought this through. My Aura will be VERY different from just about every other interpretation I've seen of it. It won't be quick, it won't be easy, and it won't always be practical. Ash won't be beating up any pokemon by himself soon. He's always going to be a trainer and his strength is going to lie in his team, not himself.
Thanks so much for your patience and for sticking with me through my brief break! I plan on returning to my goal of updating once a month now. Please leave any questions or concerns in your reviews and I'll be sure to address them! My current plan is to respond to all the PMs I've neglected and then move onto the reviews, so it might be a few days before you get a response.
Please review!